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Magnus Carlsen
Background Information: Magnus Carlsen is the current world chess champion who won the title in 2013 by defeating former world champion Viswanathan Anand. He has since held the title, defended it against Anand again in 2014, against Karjakin in 2016 and against Caruana in 2018. Carlsen achieved the highest rating ever in the world of chess in 2013, FIDE registered his rating at 2883. When he was 20 years old, he became the number one rated player in the world and held this status since 2010. Carlsen also has the longest unbeaten streak with 101 games consisting of 33 wins and 68 draws. The record still holds currently, and may increase even more. 2013 World Chess Championship Match: Carlsen won the 2013 chess candidates which qualified him to challenge then world champion Viswanathan Anand. The match was held in Chennai, India the home turf of the former world champion. At the start of the match, Carlsen was rated 2870 while Anand was rated 2775. This meant that the two were separated by a rating gap of 95 points. The match was relatively one-sided, Carlsen claimed the title of world champion in only 10 games, defeating Anand with three wins and seven draws. Carlsen won the match with a score of 6.5 to 3.5. Thus he became the youngest world chess champion in history. * Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand (1-0) G5 * Viswanathan Anand vs Magnus Carlsen (0-1) G6 * Viswanathan Anand vs Magnus Carlsen (0-1) G9 * Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand (1/2-1/2) After winning the world chess champion, Carlsen was thrilled and so was the chess world. Carlsen jumped into his swimming pool and celebrated his victory in the cold waters, wearing his suit. A new era has began for the game of chess. 2014 World Chess Championship Match: To the surprise of many, former world champion Viswanathan Anand won the 2014 candidates hence earning the right to challenge Carlsen for the throne again. This time that match would be held in Sochi, Russia where there's no home advantage for both players. Carlsen was rated 2862 and Anand was rated 2792 at the time. There was a 70 rating gap separating the two players. Carlsen struggled more than he did in the last match but still prevailed in the end and defeated Anand for the second time. Carlsen won the match with a score of 6.5 to 4.5. This meant that he still hold the world champion status until another challenger comes his way. Yet this proved once again that Carlsen is in a league of his own, being the number one rated player in all formats of chess; rapid, blitz and classical. * Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand (1-0) 2 * Viswanathan Anand vs Magnus Carlsen (1-0) 3 * Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand (1-0) 6 * Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand (1-0) 11 2016 World Chess Championship Match: This was the first match that did featured a new challenger for the world chess champion; Sergey Karjakin who is nicknamed the Minister of Defense for his ability to defend almost any position. The match was held in New York, United States of America. The two were similar in age and thus the match featured a new generation of players. Carlsen was rated 2853 and Karjakin was rated 2772 at the time which meant there was an 81 rating gap between the two. Despite the rating game, Karjakin proved to be a great challenger drawing first blood in the match. Carlsen eventually came back after the loss, and managed to beat Karjakin on tiebreaks to hold the title. Coincidentally, the match ended at around his birthday hence he had two things to celebrate at the same time. * Magnus Carlsen vs Sergey Karjakin (0-1) 8 * Magnus Carlsen vs Sergey Karjakin (1-0) 10 * Sergey Karjakin vs Magnus Carlsen (0-1) 15 Rapid * Magnus Carlsen vs Sergey Karjakin (1-0) 16 Rapid The match ended similar to the Anand-Gelfand match where both players scored one win and the title was determined in rapid tiebreaks. Carlsen dominated the tiebreaks by winning both games, hence retaining the title in style. 2018 World Chess Championship Match: The highest rated chess player from America, Fabiano Caruana emerged victorious in the 2019 Candidates tournament hence earning him the rights to challenge Carlsen. This match was held in London, England another change of venue for the world champion. Carlsen was rated 2835 and Caruana was rated 2832, with a 3 point rating difference. This meant that for every game drawn, both ratings will stay the same. While if one player wins, they will overtake the number one spot. It was the first match to see all 12 games end in a draw and the title was determined through rapid tiebreaks. * Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen (1/2-1/2) 1 * Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana (1/2-1/2) 6 * Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana (1/2-1/2) 9 * Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen (1/2-1/2) 10 * Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana (1-0) Tiebreak Game 1 * Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen (0-1) Tiebreak Game 2 * Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana (1-0) Tiebreak Game 3 Carlsen dominated the tiebreaks, winning the first three games hence becoming retaining the title. Caruana was the toughest opponent that Carlsen has played thus far, and both players put on a great spectacle for the world of chess to watch. Through this, Carlsen increased his record against Caruana as he beat him 27 to 14 with 40 draws, counting all formats of chess. 2019 Tournament Appearances: In January, Carlsen participated in 81st Tata Steel Chess Tournament which featured players such as Anand, Giri, Shankland, Kramnik and many more. Carlsen won first place finishing with a score of 9/13 scoring five wins and drawing eight games. This marked his first tournament victory of the year. This also meant that he has won the same event of a recorded seven times, the highest in history. * Jorden van Foreest vs Magnus Carlsen (0-1) 5 * Magnus Carlsen vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (1-0) 6 * Magnus Carlsen vs Richard Rapport (1-0) 8 * Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand (1-0) 10 * Magnus Carlsen vs Jan-Krzysztof Duda (1-0) 12 In April, Carlsen participated in the Shamkir Chess Tournament which is an event that commemorates the death of Vugar Gashimov, a renowned player from Azerbaijan. Carlsen won first place by scoring five wins and four draws with a score of 7/9. This was his second tournament victory in a row in 2019. * Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand (1-0) 2 * David Navara vs Magnus Carlsen (0-1) 3 * Magnus Carlsen vs Anish Giri (1-0) 7 * Sergey Karjakin vs Magnus Carlsen (0-1) 8 * Magnus Carlsen vs Alexander Grischuk (1-0) 9 In May, Carlsen participated in the Lindores Abbey Chess Event which featured players such as Anand, Ding Liren and Karjakin. The event was held in Scotland and Carlsen won the event with a score of 3.5/6, scoring a win over Anand and drawing five games. This was Carlsen's fifth tournament victory in a row for the year. * Magnus Carlsen vs Ding Liren (1/2-1/2) 1 * Sergey Karjakin vs Magnus Carlsen (1/2-1/2) 2 * Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand (1-0) 3 In November, Carlsen participated in the FIDE World Chess960 Championships. The tournament consisted of Wesley So, Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniatchi. Carlsen defeated Caruana in the semi-finals with a score of 12.5 to 7.5 but lost to Wesley So in the finals with a score of 2.5 to 13.5. This was one of the worst match he's ever played in terms of score however it is noted that this is a variant of chess.